Creature in the Closet
by Obsidian and Alabaster
Summary: Done for a horror theme challenge. Craig spends another tension-filled evening with Tweek.


_This story was done for a horror theme challenge with the prompt "creature in the closet". It's based off an RP and our first time writing, so constructive critiques are welcome._

**Creature in the Closet**

Tweek Tweak always hated night time. To be fair, he hated a lot of things: eating lunch in the cafeteria, having to change in front of the others boys in the locker room, crossing the street alone - the pressures of his days were endless. Nearly everything frightened him - as anyone watching him was soon to notice -but night time brought out a special kind of fear in the constantly caffeinated boy. At night, the sun was gone, bathing the whole world in darkness and allowing everything that was bad and scary to come out of the shadows kept at bay by the sun. Worse still, it was the time when the vast majority of South Park residents (including his parents) went to sleep, tucked away safely in their homes, and leaving him to feel utterly alone as the night hours grew darker and longer. It was terrifying, to say the least. And the only defense Tweek had against it was to lock himself in his room with a pot of coffee, turn on all the lights, and simply wait until morning, when the shadows would recede and some sense of normalcy might return to his hectic life.

Night had always been the very worst part of the day. That is, until he found Craig. Craig Tucker wasn't the smartest, most charming, or even the best-looking boy at South Park High School, but he was exactly what Tweek needed. No matter how frazzled Tweek would become over something as trivial as spilling his can of pop at the lunch table, Craig would always be there to soothe him and help calm his nerves. He was always kind to him (something the others boys probably found strange) and put up with every tick or paranoid theory Tweek would throw his way. Being with Craig always helped him to feel better, so that is why Tweek began asking him to spend the night more and more often; he wanted to have someone to lean on in the darkest hours.

"Oh, Jesus! The coffee is almost gone! I can't believe I didn't make enough!" Tweek nearly shouts as he begins to pace the bedroom that is also currently occupied by his boyfriend. He sticks his hands in his hair, pulling on the messy blond strands. "It's almost midnight and my parents aren't home, I-I can't go downstairs to make any more!"

Craig Tucker watches the frazzled blond from his spot on the bed, the same blank, indifferent expression on his face that irritated so many of his classmates. The same classmates who couldn't handle being friends with someone so high strung and paranoid all the time. Craig didn't think there was anything wrong with Tweek, he was just... different. Those guys were just assholes. They'd always been assholes.

"You don't need any more coffee tonight. I'm here, aren't I?" He gets up from his boyfriend's bed, taking a few steps to gently grasp his hand, tugging to urge the other boy to sit down with him. "Come on, forget about that for now."

Despite the fact that they had been dating for several months now, Craig still didn't fully understand just what it was that Tweek was so afraid of at any given time. In his own house, even. It didn't matter though. His attitude said he didn't care about anything or what others thought, but the truth was he hated to see the smaller blond so nervous.

The high-strung blond hesitates, knowing he needs coffee, his mind almost _screaming_ at him for coffee, but he reluctantly relents and allows his boyfriend to guide him over to sit on the bed. He keeps his hand in Craig's, gently squeezing it and almost immediately he feels better. Coffee or no coffee, Craig is here with him and he knows he won't be going anywhere until morning, when they'll both have to leave for school. Craig will watch over him.

"Gah! I'm sorry, Craig, I just -nngh! I feel better when I have it." He leans his blond head on the slightly older boy's shoulder and takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "I'd be so fucked up without you! Y-You always know the right things to say." He glances over at the digital clock on his desk, the big red numbers telling him it is 11:58 PM, then up at his boyfriend. "It's getting late, are you tired?"

Craig smiles to himself once he has convinced the blond to stop pacing, and he leans back against the wall the bed was pushed against to hold his jittery boyfriend. He was an easy-going person, but he didn't know how much longer he could take Tweek's anxious ramblings about how bad he needed coffee. He wasn't wild about how badly the Tweaks had gotten him hooked on the caffeine in the first place.

He shrugs, his arms locked comfortably around the other boy's thin waist. "Not really. Besides, I said I'd keep an eye out for monsters or whatever shit so I can stay awake longer." It wasn't as if he _actually_ believed there were monsters, but Tweek did, so he'd humor him.

"If you're tired you can go to sleep though," he added reassuringly.

"I'm not tired, you know I'm never tired!" he says in a high voice. Tweek presses himself more firmly to Craig's body, laying against him, though his muscles are still tense. He knows Craig is brave and strong, but he can't help shake the feeling that something is wrong, something that maybe not even Craig could deal with. If something were to happen to him, if those old monsters from his childhood returned, Tweek wouldn't know what to do with himself. "I don't want to sleep, something could come for us and I wouldn't know! I'll stay up with you... "

In the deepest parts of his mind, Tweek knows his paranoia is... well, crazy. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't ignore it, even with his boyfriend at his side (though having the monotone boy with him makes it that much more bearable, especially when he is surrounded by his arms). The way he puts up with his constant jitters and bizarre delusions makes Tweek feel somewhat guilty. Why does Craig stay? What does he see in him? He doesn't know, but he is thankful for it.

A quick glance around the room - just to make sure nothing is currently lurking on the floor or peering in the window - allows him to focus once again on his lover, assuming he doesn't hear a noise or see another shadow. "Since you're staying with me again, is... ngh... is there something I can do to thank you?"

Craig had known Tweek long enough to pick up on his hints, so he doesn't hide the slight smirk as he thinks about it. "What'd you have in mind, baby?" he asks, feigning ignorance as if he didn't know where this was going. His hands wander, though, sliding down the jittery blond's back to rest on his rear end, cupping it. "You know you don't have to do anything for me."

A light blush spreads across the nervous boy's cheeks, but he smiles, rubbing back against the hands that were currently fondling his ass while his arms slide around Craig's neck. "B-but I want to. Let me, okay?"

Tweek rolls over slightly so that he can sit on top of his love. He isn't new to this - he knows what to do. He leans down and begins to softly kiss Craig's neck, trailing his lips along the vein there and brushing the flaps of his signature hat back for better access, rubbing their lower bodies together in the process. He wants to make Craig feel good while he is here, to arouse him and be the type of lover any boy would want. "You smell good today..."

Craig was lucky that Tweek was so eager and willing to please him. He tips his head back slightly as the blond kisses him, a slight smile on his lips. "Yeah? Thanks, I guess."

The dark-haired trouble-maker grips Tweek's ass more firmly, pulling their bodies to press against each other. His caffeine addict boyfriend didn't really have to do any of this for him, but it seemed to make him feel better so he wasn't about to complain.

He opens his mouth to encourage the other boy, but before he can get any words out, he is distracted by a scratching sound. Not loud, really, but it definitely wasn't his imagination. He doesn't stop Tweek and instead watches the closet door, which was across the bedroom. The one Craig had never actually seen the jittery blond open before.

"Hey, stop a second. You heard that, right?" he asks in his usual monotone. He was just curious, not worried or anything.

Letting no sound go unnoticed, Tweek frowns slightly and slides his arms around his neck in order to hold on to him, nuzzling his face against his hair. "Yeah, just... just don't go over there. Gah! If you don't open the door it can't get us!" He tries desperately to ignore the closet and focus on Craig, though his body tenses up even more than before and he begins to tremble again, his fingers shaking as they curl themselves into the black hair. He knows exactly what _that_ sound is, and he doesn't want to think about it, not now.

With their bodies pressed together, Craig notices the other boy tense up and frowns just slightly. Was that little sound really something to be so nervous about? He sighs softly and moves his arms to lock them around Tweek's mid section, one hand absent-mindedly rubbing the blond's back.

"C'mon, Tweek, there's nothing in there. Get off a second, I'll open it and show you."

Hearing the suggestion causes Tweek to jump, sitting up just enough to look Craig in the eye, an obvious expression of fear on his face. His hands grab the blue fabric of his shirt at the chest, twisting it nervously in his grasp. "Oh Jesus, don't do it! If you open it - oh God! It'll get you. D-Don't go over there, j-just stay on the bed with me!" He nuzzles down under his chin again, trying to urge the older boy to stay put. If he can do that, nothing bad will happen…right?

Craig should have known Tweek would act that way. He lightly kisses the top of his boyfriend's head in a reassuring gesture before placing his hands over the blond's, carefully uncurling his fingers from the fabric of his shirt.

"_What_ will get me?" he asks, curious as to just what Tweek thought was in his closet. It was hardly big enough for two people, let alone a monster or something.

The darker-haired boy slides one leg off the bed, shifting to get up though Tweek is still clinging to his clothes. "I promise I'll be fine, but I know you won't chill out until you see nothing's in there."

The coffee-addicted boy only grows more agitated despite Craig's attempts at reassurance, and he grips more firmly to the hem of his shirt, trying to pull him back down onto the bed. Another scratch at the closet door, this time louder and more obvious than the last causes a soft yelp to escape his lips. His body stiffens and he shuts his eyes tightly, knowing that the thing lurking behind his closet door can sense his fear.

"I don't know what it is! It's like...like some kind of monster! I-I've only seen it once, and I swear to God it would have dragged me away if my dad hadn't come in right then!" He takes a shaky breath, his breathing light and fast. "Jesus, I know you think I'm crazy, but you have to believe me. P-Please, Craig."

Craig had put up with Tweek's paranoia for so long that he had to admit, he really didn't take it seriously anymore. "Baby, I don't think you're crazy. You know that," he replies reassuringly as he unhooks the smaller boy's fingers from his shirt again. "I'm sure it's, uh... just some shit in your closet hitting the door."

Once out of Tweek's clutches, Craig gets up off the bed, and he walks to the closet in question. His boyfriend had some crazy theories sometimes, but maybe there was something in there. Not a monster, he was sure, but the dark-haired boy _did_ hear that grating scratch on the wooden door just now…

Tweek's bony hands go straight to his hair - as they often do when he is exceedingly stressed - and pull on it. His mind screams at him to stop Craig: he knows that if that door is opened, there is no telling what sort of horrors might be unleashed into his bedroom. Whatever that _thing_ is behind the door is half the reason he stays awake all fucking night, every night. But his body freezes and he can't remove himself from the minuscule safety that his bed offers him.

"No, I'm really serious! Why do you think I never go to that side of the room?" He twitches, one of his many nervous ticks. "Nngh, you don't have to try to be brave! Come back to bed, f-forget you heard anything!"

Craig rolls his eyes. He was sure Tweek was freaking out for nothing. Or, he _hoped_ Tweek was freaking out for nothing.

"Don't you think you're being just a _little_ paranoid? There's nothing in your fucking closet." He walks over to the closet door, placing his hand on the knob. He hesitates for only a moment, and before he can psych himself out of doing it he swings it open.

Craig half-expects something to really be in there, but seeing nothing but a few sloppily hung clothes and miscellaneous items thrown on the floor of the small space, the dark-haired troublemaker smirks slightly. Hell, he even stuck his head in there to check the corners just to be sure. As he turns back around to face Tweek, he pushes the door of the closet open further to show him the space. "There's _nothing_, Tweek, like I tol-"

A large, bony hand curling around Craig's face abruptly silences him. Dirty, jagged claws dig into his cheek as it clamps around his head. The otherwise expressionless boy's eyes turn to his boyfriend, wide with fear and panic as blood trickles from beneath the _thing's_ nails. It had been hiding on the shelf. Why didn't he see it? Why didn't he listen to Tweek?

Tweek buries his face in his hands and turns away, too frightened to look at what he _knew_ would happen, and before he even has time to scream, Craig is gone. The creature's lanky, sickening, rotted-flesh colored arm pulls the boy up into the darkness of the closet. The door violently swings shut, and then there is nothing. The room goes completely silent.

Why hadn't Craig listened to him? He begged and he pleaded, but just like everyone else, he hadn't believed him. When it is all over, he drops his hands from his face and looks back over towards the closet door, sighing shakily to himself in disappointment.

_There goes another one._


End file.
